Prom Night
by Garfakcy-chan
Summary: The kids of Aliea Academy experience their first Prom! Though, some are more excited than others...Lots of pairings ahead! BxG, HxM, DxU, NxR, DxP, HxR
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! I've go another Aliea Academy fic for you and it's a collab with the wonderful Vera The Awesome! Make sure to check her out! I had a lot of fun doing this an I hope she did too!

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inazuma Eleven or the characters from it. We only own the plot of this fic. We are in no way making any money off of this piece of literary work.

*~8~8~8~8~8~*

"Tulip Head!"

"Snow White!"

"Hot Head!"

"Girlie Man!"

"I am not!"

"Are so!"

"Am not!"

And so on and so forth. Earlier, Prominence had arrived on Aliea Academy's practice field to run hissatsus, only to find Diamond Dust already there. As per usual, Burn had demanded they leave and was met with a firm 'no' from Gazel, thus leading to the current argument which had drawn the remaining captains and most of their teams.

"Gazel-sama, Burn-sama, please...why don't you just both use the field?" Reize offered trying to break up the fighting (bringing his voice above a whisper might have helped though).

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" the fire and ice captains screamed. The greenette yelped and leapt back, stammering out apologies.

WHACK! WHACK!

Burn and Gazel groaned and rubbed their heads as Ulvida stood over them with a large paper fan.

"What are you two? Five? Break it up already!" she screamed, planting her hands on her hips.

The two captains just glared at her, suddenly very silent. Being in Gaia, Ulvida probably possessed the most power right after Gran, and neither of them wanted to risk getting in trouble fighting with her - let alone taking another blow from her fan. They both twitched when the girl added: "If you don't learn to play nice, Gaia will be taking over the field!" and muttered a reluctant, spiteful "Fine." Gaia was already the strongest team; they couldn't possibly let them tower over them even more.

Desarm, wisely staying at a safe distance from the bickering captains, simply watched the scene in silence. His arms were crossed and his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. It was more than clear to everyone – except said captains – that Burn and Gazel were into each other; they just refused to see it because they were idiots. Instead, they resorted to letting their pride and arrogance speak for them, which only lead to more and more arguments these days.

Desarm glanced to his right, taking in a slightly quivering Reize. He was also watching his superiors without a word, though he seemed anything but calm. Desarm's features immediately softened. "Are you okay?"

Reize looked up at him and seemed to ease up. He and Desarm were the only captains without a master rank, resulting in a brotherly bond between them – which mostly consisted of Desarm looking after him and letting the greenette confide in him. "I'm okay," he nodded hesitantly; "I should probably learn to keep my nose out of their business."

"No, I think you did the right thing."

Desarm and Reize both flinched when Gran materialized behind them, sending them each a compassionate smile. "It takes guts to stand up against those two hot-heads," the redhead pointed out with a laugh. "Besides, they fight far too often these days. I daresay they fight more than they play soccer."

"Something should be done about this," Desarm voiced his thoughts, facing the front again. Burn and Gazel had parted to inform their respective teams they were going to share the field, and, as if rehearsed, shot a death glare into Ulvida's back at the exact same time. The girl seemed to scowl for a moment, but silently proceeded her way to the trio.

"We're meant to play soccer and practice to get stronger, but rivalry seems to get a hold of everyone these days," Desarm continued. "Fights ensue everywhere you look. It's going to turn into a blood bath at this rate."

"So what you're saying is that we need a time-out?" Gran asked. He then flashed another smile. "You know, that's not a bad idea. We should ask Father to organize something entirely different from soccer, something that will take everybody's minds off rivalry and surpassing others. If he's the one to give the order, no one will even consider declining."

"What do you have in mind, Gran?" Ulvida asked, now interested as well. She was in on anything that involved keeping the captains of Diamond Dust and Prominence out of each other's hair.

Burn and Gazel, while separated, both turned around to cast another glance on their fellow captains. They frowned in unison when they, along with Ulvida, formed a circle and hunched forward slightly, as if discussing a secret together. What were those four talking about?

Burn growled and stormed over to the group.

"...some kind of big party for older students." Gran finished as he approached.

"Schools throw parties?" Reize asked. He cocked his head to one side in confusion. Gran looked away to hide a blush (Inner Hiroto "He's so frickin adorable!") and shrugged. "Apparently. The one on TV did anyways. It looked like fun."

"What did?" Burn asked, catching the attention of the other captains. By this time Gazel had also made his way over to the group. Gran turned to them.

"The Prom." Burn raised an eyebrow.

"The what now?"

"It's some sort of party where high school seniors gather to have a good time," Gran explained. "You know, there's dancing, there's great food, you get to wear formal attire…"

Burn was about to scoff at that, but Gazel was ahead of him. "We're not high school seniors."

"That doesn't matter," Gran smiled. "We're still teenagers, and I've never seen anyone say no to a party before."

"There's a first time for everything," Burn snapped. "I'm not going to dress up in some monkey suit while I could spend my time training."

Gazel nodded in agreement. Despite the fact that his and Burn's elements couldn't be more opposite, those two thought scarily alike sometimes. "Count me out as well. Soccer is much more important than some stupid party."

"The point of this 'stupid party' is that _everybody_ gets to have some time off," Desarm emphasized sternly. "It's mean to be a small break from soccer and striving to be the best. If we all go, no one's going to get ahead of anyone."

"All the more reason to skip it," Burn smirked. "While you waste your evening partying, I can use the perfect chance to power up." _… and surpass Gran_, he added in thought.

Gran was little, if at all, impressed by Burn and Gazel's retort. Nothing less from those stubborn mules. "I doubt Father will be happy to hear that," he said almost cheerfully. "Because I'm sure he'll give us permission for this 'Prom', to give us something back for working so hard."

Burn and Gazel widened their eyes in disbelief. Gran was gonna go that far…? No one could possibly defy their Father if he was to give the order. Leave it up to that bastard of a Gran to use that weak point to his advantage.

Gran simply smiled at his fellow captains. Their expressions said more than enough. "I take it you're in, then."

"Whatever." Burn scoffed and diverted his eyes, digging his hands into his pockets and kicking lazily at the ground. Gran smiled and turned back to the other captains. "So, when should it be?"

"Soon! Before we launch Father's 'Invasion' next month. We need to relax a little." Ulvida offered. Gran nodded.

"Sounds fine to me. I'll run it by Father and see when he thinks we should do it." Everyone nodded then a light bulb went off in Ulvida's head.

"What about dates?" the other captains eyed her confusedly. "What does fruit have to with this stupid thing?" Burn asked. Ulvida frowned and planted her hands on her hips, giving Burn a look.

"Not the fruit, idiot. I mean dates as in someone to be your partner for the Prom. In all the movies I've ever seen, you need a date to go to the Prom, but we don't have enough girls." The blue and white haired girl finished, crossing her arms over her chest. The others thought for a minute. There weren't many girls in Aliea Academy at all, definitely not enough for everyone to partner up. However, there were some pretty girly looking guys...

"What's wrong with going with a guy?" Gran asked. "People go as friends all the time, not that it's a problem or anything if you're not going as friends."

Burn gave him a shocked look, jaw against the floor, Ulvida looked intrigued, Desarm and Gazel looked confused and Reize had gone completely red. Ulvida was the first to recover.

"Works for me. But nobody can say 'no', you know, to avoid broken hearts." She grinned evilly and winked. "And one of 'em has to wear a dress." 

Gran let out a chuckle. "Even when they're just going as friends?"

"Of course," Ulvida nodded, and before any of the other captains could object, all of their teammates had slithered in on them, curious to see what kind of conversation was keeping their leaders from playing soccer.

"A dress? Who's gonna wear a dress?"

"Whoever's going to this 'Prom', apparently…"

"I've heard of that! It's some sort of party when…"

"… and dates! We get to pick dates! Ulvida-sama said so!"

"Seriously? Hey, would you like to…"

And suddenly, couples started to form all over the place. Most of the teenagers resorted to picking someone from their own team, but there were also players who started to mingle with each other, happily setting their differences aside for the Prom. Everybody was clearly psyched about going, and even Nepper, whose sense of competition was only towered by Burn's, snuck a peek to a midfielder from Diamond Dust. When Rhionne caught his gaze, he blushed and looked away, figuring it would be smarter to ask someone else. But when the orange-haired girl approached him and gave him a nod, a smile instantly shone on his face.

Burn watched the scene with disgust. Even his loyal friend had been brainwashed by this ridiculous event… He remembered Ulvida's words and figured he should pick a girl quick, before he would have to go through the humiliation of wearing a dress. Being forced to attend this stupid Prom was already bad enough... "Rean—"

But his best friend had already picked her victim, keeping him a playful headlock with a grin. "You're stuck with me, darling!"

While Heat snickered awkwardly and attempted to escape from her grip, Burn gritted his teeth and looked to the side. Rean would've been closest to perfect to be his date: she was a girl, but she was also very close to him. She was an open-minded girl who was never ever fazed by his unpredictable personality, meaning she wouldn't have had a single problem being his date for one night. She would've known right away it was a platonic gesture. But of course, Burn had forgotten about her soft spot for Heat…

The redhead sighed and eyed his fellow captains, who were also observing their teammates. It soon turned out the six of them were the only ones without a date, leaving them with very few options.

Burn bit his lip and looked around. With only the six of them left, he'd have to pick a fellow captain or Ulvida. Even if she was the only girl left, she was like his older sister and the idea of essentially going on a date with her just seemed...awkward. Then his eyes passed over Gazel and an idea formed. "Wait, we can't say 'no'?"

Ulvida nodded. "Since everyone needs to go anyway, it seems like a good idea."

Burn grinned and promptly spun to face Gazel. "Will you go with me? NO DRESS, CALLED IT!" everyone promptly went silent as their jaws hit the ground. Gazel gaped.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Can't say 'no'!"

"I am not wearing a dress!"

"Too bad! I already called not wearing one, so you have to! Plus, you're the girlier one of us!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

The remaining four watched as the fire and ice captains resumed their previous argument. "This is going to be very interesting, isn't it?" Desarm asked. Ulvida nodded, smiling. "They'll work it out. Oh well, wanna go with me, Dezzy?" Desarm shrugged.

"I suppose. We need to attend anyways." the two older players walked off, chatting about whatever. Gran grinned and turned to Reize.

"Guess that leaves us. I'd wear the dress, but I think you'd look better. One of the girls will probably lend you one. See ya." Gran flicked a bang out of the greenette's eyes and walked off the field, leaving a shell-shocked Reize behind. Diam and Pandora slowly walked over to their captain. "Reize-sama, are you alright?" Diam asked cautiously.

Reize fainted.

"Midori-chan!" Pandora cried.

Diam only just managed to catch his captain before he hit the field. He didn't need to ask what had caused Reize to lose his cool when he saw the blush on his cheeks; the greenette was probably both terrified and overjoyed to be the Gaia captain's date.

"He's probably gonna need some help," Diam grimaced, and he looked up at his own date. "D'you think you could lend him one of your dresses?"

Pandora nodded with a smile. "Of course. I'll make him so dashing even Gran-sama will be blown away."


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, such great reviews! Thanks a lot guys! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inazuma Eleven or the characters from it. We only own the plot of this fic. We are in no way making any money off of this piece of literary work.

*~8~8~8~8~8~*

As expected, Father granted the event. Only a few days after he'd given Gran a green light, the main soccer stadium of Aliea Academy was transformed into a dance hall. Everybody had been psyched about the Prom and tended to get carried away more often than not, constantly chatting about their dates, outfits and anything Prom-related during soccer practice. Gran, Desarm and Reize simply smiled and let them have their fun (not that Reize had much of a choice, seeing as he'd never held much power over Gemini Storm), but the absentmindedness of their own teammates just made Burn and Gazel loathe the Prom even more. There wasn't a single moment Burn wasn't swayed from his original goal, and neither was Gazel, even though he now had an extra reason to hate the upcoming event. He said surprisingly little and his facial expression seemed to have stuck to an enduring glare. When Droll had been stupid enough to ask him if he was looking forward to the Prom, he had resorted to colliding his fist with the wall, which seemed to hurt the metal more than his own hand. All of his friends had made the wise decision to shut up about the Prom in his presence from that point on.

Now, the dreaded event was finally there. Everybody had retired to their rooms to get ready for the Prom, and once they were completely fixed up, the teenagers excitedly made for the stadium to meet their dates there. Among them was the captain of Diamond Dust, who tried to remain as unseen as possible. He had changed little about his appearance, his face lacking any form of make-up and his hair still being in its gravity-defying style. However, he had lived up to Ulvida's order and was wearing a blue, strapless dress, covering him from chest to feet. He had added a little extra by putting on long, black gloves, which reached his upper arms. Gazel's attire lacked any attention-grabbing features, just like the ice captain wanted. It was a bit of a relief to know he wasn't going to be the only male in a ridiculous outfit, but it still humiliated him to a frustrating extent.

And that extent was just going to increase when Gazel spotted his date at the entrance of the stadium. Burn, dressed in a black tuxedo (and looking decent for once), was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, seeming more relaxed than anything. He perked up when he noticed a flash of blue and a grin immediately spread on his face, making Gazel want to punch him. "Hello, Fuusuke-chan. Nice dress."

Gazel sent him a dark look and eyed Burn's hair, which seemed to miss any hint of change as well. "Nice tulip."

Burn frowned. "You could've done yourself up a little nicer, ya know. I do have to be seen with you for the rest of the night."

"That's no one's fault but your own. You asked me, remember?" Gazel crossed his arms over his chest. A quiet chuckle to Burn's right caught their attention. The fire and ice captains glared as the red haired captain of Gaia approached. He'd changed his hair into its casual style and looked rather nice in his tuxedo (not that either Burn or Gazel would admit it). Gran grinned. "Well, aren't you two the cutest couple."

"Shut it, Gran. Where's your date anyways?" Burn snapped. Gran just shrugged. "Not here yet." Gazel raised an eyebrow.

"Who is your date, exactly?" the white haired boy asked. The Gaia captain smiled.

"Reize, of course!" Burn and Gazel blinked. Gazel pointed behind Burn, toward the doorway.

"I found your date." Gran and Burn both turned to look in the direction he was pointing and saw Pandora pulling a pretty green haired girl into the room.

Wait a minute…

Gran's jaw dropped. Reize was wearing a floor length, off the shoulder, white dress that seemed to glitter in the light. His hair had been brushed down and hung around his shoulders in ringlets. Gazel chuckled.

"Need a bucket, Gran?" Gran quickly wiped his mouth and straightened up. A whistle sounded over his shoulder. "Wow, Pandora-chan really did a number of him, huh?" Ulvida said crossing her arms over her chest and smirking. Then she noticed Gazel.

"Suzuno! Why aren't you wearing the jewelry I gave you?"

"Cuz I'm not a girl! I told you I wasn't gonna wear it!"

"But it would great!"

"I don't care!"

While Gazel and Ulvida argued, Gran wandered over the Reize. Pandora had abandoned him at some point, leaving him in the middle of the crowd. "Hey." He said.

Reize jumped and spun to face Gran, a blush rising to his face instantly. Gran sucked in a breath. God, he was beautiful. Reize gripped his hands in front of him and cast his eye to the floor.

"I look stupid, I know. I'm sorry."

Gran raised an eyebrow, needing effort to hold back from jumping the boy and proclaiming him adorable in front of everyone. Rather than doing so, he brought his hand to Reize's chin and lifted his head, making him look into his eyes.

"What are you saying…? You are, without a doubt, the belle of the ball," he whispered with a smile. 

Reize widened his eyes, completely awestruck. His cheeks darkening considerably, he promptly started to stammer inexistent words, before averting his eyes and finally managing an extremely modest "T-t-thank you."

Gran simply smiled and lowered his hand, grasping Reize's. He placed his other hand on his back as he sank down on his knees and bowed his head, placing a kiss on the back of the greenet's hand. "Thank you for agreeing to be my date, Midorikawa."

Reize, to everyone's surprise, managed to turn even redder. Too shy to look his superior in the eye, he stared off to the side and muttered: "W-w-well, it's not like we had a choice… Ulvida-sama said 'no's aren't allowed, and we were the only ones left…"

"I know," Gran replied, and he stood up straight again, still smiling. "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy to go with you."

Reize couldn't help but smile at those words himself, in spite of his nervousness. He finally managed to regain eye contact with his superior and nodded almost unnoticeably, murmuring: "I'm happy too…"

Ulvida eyed the couple with a smile, her arms crossed on her chest. In her opinion, those two were meant for each other, and it was great to see them get closer. She then started to scan her surroundings, looking for her own date, but only spotted other couples making awkward small talk.

Just as she muttered "He's late" to herself, Desarm's deep voice boomed throughout the room: "I'm sorry for being late!" Said boy pushed his way through the crowd to get to his date, panting slightly. He was also dressed in a tux, making him stunningly handsome, and he had put his hair up in a ponytail.

Ulvida turned around and was slightly taken aback by the sight. Desarm had never looked so… charming before. He should dress like this more often. She cleared her throat to retain a tough front and said: "I don't like to be kept waiting."

"I know, I'm sorry," Desarm apologized again once he was right in front of her. It was only when he had caught his breath and lifted his head that Ulvida noticed something was in the palm of his hand. Desarm also went down on one knee and nervously took her by the hand, for one second making her think he was going to kiss it too. But instead, the boy carefully slid the object in his hand onto her wrist, which turned out to be a corsage. It complemented her ruby dress perfectly.

Desarm quickly got back up and mustered enough courage to look Ulvida in the eye, a small blush on his cheeks. "I-I understood this is a Prom tradition…" he explained carefully. "I didn't want to turn up empty-handed…"

Ulvida, genuinely surprised by the gesture, observed the flower in silence. Desarm didn't show his gentleman side often, but every time he did, it reminded her how sweet he could actually be.

"… thank you," she finally said, realizing Desarm was waiting for an answer. "That's very kind of you, Desarm."

Desarm smiled thankfully and gave her a nod. "Only the best for my date."


	3. Chapter 3

Aw! You guys are so great! Thank you for the wonderful reviews! Here's the next chapter guys! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inazuma Eleven or the characters from it. We only own the plot of this fic. We are in no way making any money off of this piece of literary work.

*~8~8~8~8~8~*

Burn watched the couple from a distance, and then rounded his head to look at the others. "Looks like everyone's here," he concluded. He turned to his own date and held out his arm for him to take, once again flashing a despicable grin. "Shall we, milady?"

Gazel narrowed his eyes and hissed: "Take that arm back before I rip it off."

Burn opened his mouth to speak then jumped as the ear splitting squeal of the microphone echoed through room. Ulvida laughed nervously from the small stage set up in front of the left side bleachers.

"Sorry guys. It wouldn't turn on. Anyway, I just have a quick announcement. On each table is a ballot box and there are slips of paper next to it. On the slips, you write the names of your favorite couple that you want to receive the honor of being Aliea Academy's first Prom King and Queen! The Prom goes until midnight, so we'll count the votes around 11 o'clock and announce the winning couple! And no voting for yourself! Now, I believe everyone's here now so this thing can finally get started!" Ulvida punched the air and yells of excitement rose up. The quiet music that had been playing in the background began to boom through the speakers as Desarm helped Ulvida off the stage. People grabbed their dates and headed to the dance floor.

Burn smirked. "This is so stupid."

"Come on, Burn! Last one on the dance floor's a rotten egg!" Rean screamed as she rushed past him, dragging Heat behind her. Burn, never one to back down from a challenge, reached for Gazel's arm.

"What did I just tell you? You'll keep that arm to yourself if you want to keep it at all." The white haired boy sneered, pulling out of reach. Burn pulled back for a second then smirked and planted his hands on his hips.

"Aw, little Gazel afraid of a little dancing? Or is it that you can't dance?" Gazel hissed, infuriated by the accusation. "I can dance!"

"Prove it!" Burn crossed his arms and grinned. Gazel hesitated for a second. In order to prove it, he'd have to dance…with Burn. It wasn't that he couldn't, Hitomiko taught him when he was little, it was just that he didn't like to. Dancing meant being close to people and being close to people meant possible physical contact. Gazel didn't like to be touched. However, he hated the idea of Burn getting one up on him more.

"Fine, I will." He growled, seizing Burn's arm and dragging him to the dance floor. "Ow! That is attached, you know!" Burn complained, wincing as Gazel only tightened his grip.

"You wanted this dance, you got it, so shut up and dance."

Burn pouted and was about to answer that, but Gazel interrupted him by abruptly halting in the middle of the room and placing one hand on Burn's waist, the other in his own. "Ready?"

Burn raised an eyebrow. "What am I supposed to be ready for?"

"Wait," Gazel simply told him, and Burn managed to catch a small grin before his date started to dance, automatically pulling him along. The redhead could barely keep up with his movements as Gazel maintained a firm grip on his body and swayed him across the floor, smoothly and gracefully. Burn was instantly convinced the boy was a good dancer when surrounding couples stopped dancing to watch them instead. He started to blush when he felt all those eyes on him, embarrassed for having the 'girl' lead him.

"O-okay, okay, that's enough," Burn stammered quickly. But Gazel completely ignored him and only stopped after dipping him, keeping this position for a moment and letting Burn hover above the floor. The silver-haired boy sent him a sly grin and whispered: "Is there a problem, Burn?"

"N-no!" Burn exclaimed immediately, although he really wished Gazel would pull him back up. His hands felt like they could let him slip any moment, something the bastard was probably doing on purpose.

Gazel simply grinned and granted his wish after a few seconds. "I don't know if you still think I can't dance, but _you_ should definitely do something about those clumsy legs of yours," he pointed triumphantly. "You stepped on my feet a couple of times."

Burn gritted his teeth and felt his cheeks flare up when a few other couples started snickering at that remark. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists at the sides, trying to hold his anger back. That asshole, taunting him in front of everybody…

Meanwhile, in another part of the room, Gran and Reize had also engaged in a dance. They were moving at a calmer pace than their fellow captains, but still managed to follow the rhythm of the music. Gran's right hand was resting on Reize's middle, while his left had entangled with the greenette's. Reize, much to his own embarrassment, was forced to use the other to lift his dress so he wouldn't trip on it.

"You're a good dancer," Gran broke the silence between them in a soft whisper, making the other boy blush.

"A-ah, I don't think I am, not really," Reize stammered, and he automatically avoided eye contact. "Gran-sama is much better…"

"Feel free to call me Hiroto," Gran clarified, circling the both of them. "There are no formalities tonight. Although… I wouldn't mind if you always called me that, Midorikawa."

Reize abruptly stared at him again, his eyes wide and his cheeks gaining even more colour. "W-what? But I could never—"

"Will you do it if I order you to?" Gran joked with a wink.

Reize blushed heavily now and he quickly averted his eyes. "I'd have to. You're my superior." Gran smirked and moved the hand on Reize's waist to completely wrap around the other's middle. He pulled him close and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I wish I could keep you this close to me all the time. Like when we were kids."

Reize bit back a little gasp, his mind instantly jumping to a familiar memory. When he and Gran, Hiroto then, had been children, Reize only 7 and Gran 8, Gran had discovered a little alcove under a tree in the forest by Sun Garden. They'd spend hours, sometimes the whole day if they could, under the fort of roots, playing, talking, doing homework, anything. Things were different then. Once, he'd actually almost told him that he…

"Reize?" the greenette gasped when he noticed Gran looking at him worriedly. It was then he realized he was crying.

"I…I'm sorry!" the captain of Gemini Storm instantly yanked himself out of his superior's arms and raced from the room. Gran gaped in surprise for a second before running after him. "Reize! Reize! Midorikawa!"

Ulvida's head shot up at Gran's cries, in time to see Reize run from the room and Gran chase after him. She quickly placed her glass of punch down and started towards the door. A hand caught her wrist and she spun to cast a confused look towards Desarm. Reize was like his little brother, if anyone wanted to go after him she would have expected it to be him.

"Let Gran-sama handle it. It'd be better if he does." Desarm said, releasing her.

Ulvida hesitated for a moment, but then nodded in agreement. "You're right. This is something between them."

Desarm smiled when he heard that and asked: "Would you like to da—" He flinched when a loud thud interrupted him from behind, and turned around to see Burn pouring himself some punch. The glass, which he had slammed onto the table just a second earlier, looked like it was ready to break in his destructive grasp.

Ulvida raised an eyebrow when she saw the ominous look on the redhead's face. "Where's your date?"

"Dancing," Burn growled, and Desarm and Ulvida both turned their heads to the dance floor. Gazel had borrowed Clara from Droll and was now dancing with her instead. The older couple both noticed the light-hearted look on his face, as if he'd been relieved of some kind of heavy burden.

Ulvida picked up her own glass and mumbled into it: "If his plan was to ditch you from the start, he succeeded…"

Burn nearly choked on his drink when he heard that and sent her an alerted look. "What?"

"I don't know, he looks much happier without you." Ulvida's tone was casual, almost indifferent, but Desarm noticed the teasing glint in her eyes. He understood what lay behind them when Burn instantly dumped his glass on the table and marched back to the dance floor. He looked his date in the eye and raised an eyebrow. "You said that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course," Ulvida grinned, and she took a last sip before putting her own glass away. "The chemistry between those two can't get more obvious. They just need a little push, is all."

Desarm couldn't help but grin himself. "Sneaky."

"Thank you," Ulvida replied, and she surprised her date by suddenly taking his hand. When she saw the look on his face, she quickly confirmed: "And yes, I'd like to dance with you."

Burn, to his own frustration, was reduced to walking at a low pace because of the dancing couples around him. He would normally push them out of the way, but even he wasn't heartless enough to disrupt the fun the teens were having. When he finally reached Gazel, he glared at the blue-haired girl he was holding and snapped: "Give him back."

Clara flinched when she heard that intimidating voice and turned to look at him. "B-Burn-sama?"

"Give him back. That's my date. You've got your own," Burn hissed.

Clara didn't need him to say that twice. She instantly let go of her captain, gave him a quick bow, and hurried over to Droll, who had already started approaching them in case Burn planned to get any closer to his date.

Gazel followed them with his eyes while they started dancing again, before giving Burn a disapproving look. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You're my date," Burn repeated angrily. "You're not supposed to dance with someone else."

Gazel raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? You're the one who ditched me to get some punch all of a sudden."

"I wasn't going to be humiliated in front of everyone!" Burn shouted, making a few couples around them flinch and stare at him. "You embarrassed me on purpose!"

"Your voice is too loud," Gazel pointed out, as unfazed as always. "And all I did was prove my point back then: you wanted to see me dance, so I danced. You started acting like a child all on your own."

Burn growled and suddenly launched at him, pulling the other boy closer by hand and waist. Just as Gazel started to blush at the abrupt intimate contact, he said: "Well, it won't happen again," and started to waltz the two of them across the dance floor.

Gazel was visibly taken aback by his action and tried to break free first, but when he saw the look on Burn's face, which suddenly eased up in a playful expression, he started to accept their position. Gazel never did like physical contact... but when it was Burn, he didn't mind being touched by him, however rough he may be.

"Silly Tulip-head," the ice captain whispered, and he started to dance along when all his date did was grin at that.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm so happy everyone is liking the fic! I hope you like this chapter too!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inazuma Eleven or the characters from it. We only own the plot of this fic. We are in no way making any money off of this piece of literary work.

*~8~8~8~8~8~*

Gran raced through the halls of Aliea Academy. Where was Reize? He'd lost him a while back and had been running in circles trying to find him since. Gran stopped running to lean his back on the wall. Why had he run in the first place? Gran had told him he wanted things between to be like when they were kids, then Reize had gotten quiet, begun crying, and fled.

Gran bit his lip and brought a hand back through his hair. Had he frightened him? Midorikawa had completely fallen into his Reize personality and Reize's role in their Father's plan and for Gran, his superior, to be suddenly contradicting that might have set him off. Gran rested his face in his hands. What had he done?

"Gran-sama?"

Gran's head shot up at the sound of someone speaking his name and locked eyes with Pandora. The girl looked pretty, having her hair around her shoulders instead of in its usual bun and face devoid of make up. She wore a pretty strapless light pink gown and a worried expression on her face. Gran quickly got to his feet and brushed off his tux, then regarded the Gemini Storm player.

"Hai. Good evening, Pandora-san. You haven't seen Reize by any chance, have you?" Pandora seemed taken aback by the question, but nodded. "He ran by here a while ago. He was heading toward the door." Gran's eyes widened briefly. Was Reize intending to run? He had to find him.

"Arigatou!" He started down the hall but a hand grabbed his arm. He looked back at Pandora. "Gran-sama, if I may ask, what happened?"

Gran took a breath as she let his arm drop and he moved his gaze to the floor. "I…I think I said something that upset him."

"Was it something that might've implied romantic interest towards him?" Gran looked at her in surprise. Yes, his words could be taken that way and were meant that way, but how had she…? Pandora gripped her elbows.

"Reize-sama has been in love with you for quite some time now. Even before Aliea Academy was born. But…he avoids any hopeful thoughts because of your difference in positions. If you said something that might have implied you return those feelings, it's just like him to upset himself thinking that it's just him hoping for something that could never be. He was upset when I was helping him get ready for the Prom. Being the lowest ranking captain seems to have certainly destroyed his self-confidence because he had completely convinced himself that he had ruined the Prom for you just by being your date."

Gran was shocked. He had no idea Reize thought so poorly of himself. He'd always thought the boy was just being modest. He had to find him, quickly. "Arigatou, Pandora-san." Gran turned to leave again, but stopped and turned back to the girl.

"Pandora-san?" Pandora regarded him with a curious look and Gran crossed his arms over his chest. "Why did you tell me this? What if I don't return his feelings?" Pandora grinned devilishly and crossed her arms over her chest.

"If you didn't would you be searching for him so frantically?" Gran's jaw dropped slightly as the girl spun around and headed back towards the field-turned-ballroom. He stayed staring after her for a moment before smiling and racing off down the hall to find his runaway Cinderella.

Meanwhile, Diam was leaning in the doorway of the soccer stadium, waiting for his date to return. His arms were crossed and one foot was resting against the wall. The boy perked up when the purple-haired girl appeared in sight and smiled at her, unable to remain unmoved by her beauty. "How did it go?"

"It went well," Pandora replied, and she lifted her hand for him to take. Diam led her into the ballroom and flashed an innocent grin. "Are you finally going to focus on your own date now? First Reize, then Gran-sama…"

"It can't be helped," Pandora shrugged just as innocently. "Those two need to be pointed in the right direction sometimes, and I'll be happy to help."

"Generous as always," Diam complimented, and the two of them started to dance once they had reached the dance floor. The couple left little distance between them and never broke eye contact, smiling at each other all the way. Though neither of them voiced it, the other teen was their perfect date.

Just as Diam and Pandora moved even closer, their faces softening in unison, the magic of their little moment was broken when Pandora was bumped into and fell into Diam's arms.

"S-sorry!" Nepper stammered as he and Rhionne waltzed by, and the Gemini Storm players couldn't possibly fault him when they saw how nervous the other boy was. Nepper was dressed in a tuxedo and had left his hair in the exact same do, his headband holding it up. A blush was visible on his face as he stumbled across the place, his movements even clumsier than his captain's.

"You could've just told me you have two left feet, I don't mind leading," Rhionne told him. She was wearing a light-blue, tutu-like dress, and just like her date, she had also refused to remove her personal feature. Nepper couldn't see her expression behind that emotionless mask, but the two of them had been getting closer lately, and thus he improved in guessing her facial expression with every conversation.

"N-no!" the forward instantly exclaimed, looking at the girl as if she'd gone mad. "It's the job of the male to lead a dance!"

Rhionne grinned behind her mask. Much to her surprise, Nepper turned out to have a preference for traditions, initiating gestures such as giving her flowers and holding the door open for her. Not that she was keen on voicing it, but it was one of the many traits she loved about him.

"You should consider dance lessons, then," the pink-haired girl advised, and she pressed a finger against Nepper's lips before he could object. "You wanna go vote King and Queen?"

Nepper's blush deepened and he shyly hung his head. "S-sure." He kept his gaze down when Rhionne took him by the hand and tugged him along, silently treasuring the time he was allowed to spend with her as her date.

A loud hissing noise sounded when the giant door of Aliea Academy began to lower. The mountain range around it trembled when the edge hit the ground and a small figure ran from the lighted entrance.

Reize raced around the back of the runway and ducked down behind it. He pulled his knees up to his chest, trying to stifle his sobs. 'I'm so stupid. Why did I have to think of that? Now I've ruined everything.' He reached down to fiddle with the hem of the silvery-white dress he wore and sniffled.

"Reize!" Said greenette jumped sharply as Gran's voice floated out the open door of the UFO and he scrambled to his feet. No, he couldn't bear to see Gran right now. Not after ruining the Prom the Gaia captain had worked so hard on. He picked up the skirt of his dress and ran down a back path that wrapped around to the foot of the mountain. However, high heels didn't have nearly the same amount of grip as the boots for his uniform did. Running in heels was something Reize had never attempted before and certainly wasn't going to ever again.

Some loose rocks slid out from under his foot and he instantly went down, his right ankle twisting sharply in a way it definitely was not supposed to. Reize cried out and grabbed said appendage, wincing as pain shot through it.

"Reize!" Gran appeared beside him suddenly, dropping down next to him to inspect what damage had been done. Reize winced sharply and tried to pull away when Gran lightly gripped his ankle.

"Shhh…Just let me get a look at it." Gran cooed gently, carefully removing Reize's shoe and moving his ankle around to test the damage. Reize wiped at his tears, now from both emotional and physical pain, as he watched Gran handle his injured ankle like it was going to snap off. The pain had begun to die now and Reize's mind was turning its focus back to his previous worries.

"G…gomenasai, Gran-sama. I didn't mean to ruin things…" the greenette bit back a sob. He didn't want Gran to see him crying. Gran looked up from his inspection in surprise before carefully placing Reize's injured limb on the ground and shifting to fully face him. He cupped his face in one hand and wiped some of his tears away with his thumb.

"What are you talking about? You didn't ruin anything. I just got worried when you ran off like that. Why did you come this way? You know it's not stable!" Gran couldn't help but berate the boy. The back path was prohibited because the ground was loose and unstable and the path was too narrow. Reize was lucky he had slipped so early on. Another ten feet and he would have fallen over the side of the mountain. That certainly would have ruined his night.

Reize rubbed at his eye. "G…gomenasai. I wasn't thinking about that." Gran sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay. Why did you run from me? What it something I said? Was it because I was holding you like that? Oh my god, you weren't abused, were you? I'm so sorry!" Gran was frantically flailing his arms now, worried he might have scarred the other for life.

"Wha-what? N-no, no, it's nothing like that I swear! Hiroto, calm down!" Reize yelled, trying to assure the other boy that he was blowing the situation way out of proportion (Oh, cause you so weren't, Midori-chan). Gran abruptly stopped and stared at him in wonder. Reize looked around nervously before looking to him again. "Wha-what?"

"You called me Hiroto."

Reize went red instantly. "Gomenasai! I didn't mean to! I–" his apology was quickly cut off when Gran suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. Reize's eyes widened. Gran's eyes locked with his and they didn't look away until they parted. Reize blushed prettily and stared at Gran in shock. "Gran-sama…?"

"Don't call me that." Gran said sternly. "I told you before I wanted it to be like when we were kids, didn't I?"

Reize blinked for a minute, confused until a memory popped into his head.

_/Flashback/_

_A small 7 year old Midorikawa sat crying in his and Hiroto's 'secret place'. Nagumo had started making fun of him when he tripped during tag and then pulled his hair. He sniffled loudly. Nagumo was always so mean to him! It wasn't fair!_

_"Midori-chan!" the greenette looked up as he heard his name called and green eyes and red hair appeared in the entryway. "Found you!" Hiroto chirped happily. Midorikawa moved over to make room for Hiroto as he climbed in. "You okay?"_

_Midorikawa sniffled again. "I was gonna ask you that. What happened to your eye?" the greenette asked, pointing to the slowly forming bruise surrounding the redhead's eye. Hiroto grinned cheekily._

_"I hit Nagumo. He hit back." Midorikawa laughed a little. "Hitomiko-san won't be happy with you." Hiroto huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "He started it! He shoulda left you alone!" he wrapped his arms tightly around the greenette and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. "I've decided! I'm gonna stay with you forever! That way Nagumo can't hurt you anymore! Nobody can!"_

_/End Flashback/_

"I meant what I said then and I mean it now. I want you by my side. Forever." Hiroto stood up and offered Midorikawa his hand. "Shall we go, princess?"

Midorikawa stared in shock for a moment before accepting the hand and letting himself be pulled up. "Can you walk?" Hiroto asked worriedly. Midorikawa shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Gomen." He shivered now, wrapping his arms around himself. Hiroto thought for a moment before sliding off his tuxedo jacket and placing it around Midorikawa's shoulders and swooping him up, bridal style.

Midorikawa protested for a moment, but eventually stopped when he realized Hiroto wasn't listening and let the red head carry him back to the makeshift ballroom. As they entered, shouting caught their attention and they turned to look at the source.

Heat and IQ were arguing because Heat had accidently stepped on IC's foot when he and Rean had been waltzing past her and Valen. IC, Rean, Maqulia (IQ's date), and Valen stood off to the side, watching the exchange.

"I know you did it on purpose!" IQ barked, poking Heat on the chest. "I saw that smug look on your face when you nearly crushed her foot!"

"I wasn't being smug, I was just happy because Rean complimented my dancing!" Heat snapped back. He then proceeded to mimic IQ's gesture and added: "What's your problem, do all members of Diamond Dust have a sibling complex or something?"

IQ went red with anger when he heard that and grabbed Heat by the collar, lifting him from the floor. "What was that, you asshole?" he hissed, their faces close enough for Heat to feel his breath. "You want me to add another scar, 'cause I'll be happy to."

"Yeah, we oughta teach you big-mouths of Prominence a lesson," Valen jumped in, and the boys of the two rival teams sent each other a death glare. Just before a fight was about to break out, however, all of the teens perked up when a familiar voice chimed behind them: "What's the problem, guys?"

They turned their heads and were appalled to see the captains of Prominence and Diamond Dust happily passing by, dancing awfully close to each other. Burn gently dipped Gazel, just like the other boy had dipped him earlier, and sent his teammates a grin. "Relax, have some fun. That's what tonight is for."

"We can give you an order if that's what you prefer," the ice captain added, and he leaned back up, only for Burn to guide him through an inside turn. As the couple twirled off, their friends needed a moment to get their act together. None of them had seen the two rivals so close before. They had been the ones hating the Prom the most, and now they looked like they were actually having the time of their life.

Rean was the first to recover from the shock and placed a hand on Heat's shoulder. "They're right, Heat. Let it go. I want to see some more of that awesome footwork," she winked.

Heat blushed at the gesture and nodded automatically. It was impossible for him to defy that girl. The boy instantly turned to her after IC urged her brother to let him go and the two of them resumed their own dance. When the two other couples did the same thing, Gran and Reize smiled at each other in relief, but looked up in sync when someone asked them if everything was fine. Desarm and Ulvida came running, and it didn't go by unnoticed that they were holding hands.

"What happened?" the couple inquired at the exact same time, equally worried about the pair.

Reize blushed and looked down. "I slipped and twisted my ankle. Hiroto came and helped though, so I'm fine." Gran smiled.

"You should sit down though. Have fun, guys." The redhead then proceeded to carry Reize over to one of the tables without another word. Ulvida blinked. Desarm blinked. The two turned to look at each other.

"Did he just call him 'Hiroto'?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hi peoples! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inazuma Eleven or the characters from it. We only own the plot of this fic. We are in no way making any money off of this piece of literary work.

*~8~8~8~8~8~*

"Well, what do you know? You actually figured out this whole 'dancing' thing. I think you might have finally found your brain." Gazel snickered as Burn spun him around. "Shush. You don't exactly seem like your having a bad time anymore." Burn caught him by the waist again.

"I could say the same for you. 2 hours ago you couldn't stop complaining; now you actually seem to be enjoying yourself."

Burn looked away, blushing slightly. "Yeah, well…it got interesting, I guess. Wonder why those guys gave us those looks back there." Gazel shrugged and Burn dipped him. "Maybe because we're not fighting. That is how they usually see us."

"Maybe. Hey, just curious, but why exactly do you know how to dance in the girl's position?" Burn asked raising an eyebrow as he pulled him back into his arms. Gazel blushed lightly and looked away.

"Hitomiko-san taught me how to dance when I was little and, well, when you're 5 years old, leading a teenager is a little difficult so Hitomiko-san would usually lead. I didn't really get to learn that part until I was 8 or so." Burn chuckled a little, drawing Gazel's attention. It wasn't the sort of mocking laughter he was used to. "What's so funny?"

Burn stopped and smirked. "I just had a mental image of a 5 year old you standing on Hitomiko-san's feet while she waltzed. Funny how adorable you used to be. Guess what they say is right…" Burn seemed lost in his own thoughts now, unaware of Gazel's rapidly heating face. "A-and what exactly _do_ they say?"

Burn jolted, having realized his own words now, and blushed. "Nothing! Nothing at all! Hey, new song! Let's go!" ending the conversation with that, he spun the ice captain almost violently before whisking him off around the dance floor.

"BURN! ANSWER ME!"

Burn pinched one eye shut when Gazel's shockingly loud voice pierced through his ears. It was rare for him to raise it this much, if at all. "Keep it down before everybody stares again," he urged. "It's nothing important."

"I don't care, I want to know," Gazel insisted, and he made his point by pulling away and crossing his arms. He narrowed his eyes, but his cheeks were still red. "You just called me adorable, didn't you?"

Burn went redder himself when he heard those words come from his mouth. He did, didn't he…? His eyes went wide and quickly diverted from the other boy. What had possessed him to ramble like that, about his rival no less?

Just as the redhead was about to tell Gazel to let it go, the music abruptly swapped from a fast song to a slow song. The other couples stopped dancing for a moment, having been pulled out of the rhythm, but when they remembered the meaning behind those kinds of songs, they awkwardly closed their distance and began to spin in each other's arms. Soon, there were only two couples who weren't slow dancing: Gran and Reize, who were having some punch at the side, and Burn and Gazel. The two captains stared at each other in a nerve-wrecking silence. They had held each other close before, but not this close… Were they supposed to slow dance? With each other?

Burn was the first to say something, once again looking at the floor. "… I'll… give you some space," he muttered, and he turned away from the other boy, only to have his wrist caught in his hand. Burn rounded once more, surprised. Gazel was staring at his feet, his free hand clenched at the side.

"… stay. I'm not supposed to dance with anyone else, remember?" he reminded his date quietly.

Burn blushed again and looked away himself. "I-I'm sure you won't ask someone behind my back again," he stammered. "We don't need to— we _can't_ do this. We're… enemies."

"So are the others, and I don't see them objecting," Gazel reasoned stubbornly. "Weren't you the one to say we're supposed to relax? This night is _meant_ to set all of that rivalry stuff aside."

"… even so… are you saying you _want_ to do this…?" Burn asked carefully. He snuck a peek at his date and saw Gazel was still admiring the floor, his blush increasing vividly.

"… you didn't give me an answer… so you at least owe me this," the silver-haired boy eventually answered. He finally raised his head and gave Burn a determined, almost intimidating look. He wasn't going to get out of this one.

Burn swallowed and awkwardly moved closer. "A-alright… but can you let go of my wrist first, you're crushing it."

Gazel immediately pulled his hand back and mumbled a hasty "Sorry." He then closed the gap between them and placed his hands on Burn's shoulders, feeling the boy's body gently press against his own. Gazel quickly lowered his head to hide his red cheeks, unknowingly making himself even more adorable in Burn's eyes. The redhead wrapped his own hands around his waist and whispered: "Ready?"

"Is there something to be ready for?" Gazel whispered back, causing a grin to spread on Burn's face as he recognized those familiar words.

"Wait," he imitated the other boy, and he gently started to lead him through a slow dance. Gazel was a little tense at first, not at all used to such close contact, let alone with his rival. But as they carried on and let the music guide them, the ice captain couldn't help but melt in the fire captain's arms. He exhaled in relief, rested his head on Burn's shoulder and shut his eyes. Slow dances were meant to allow moments like these, right…? Moments when the dancers didn't have to care about anything and could just do what felt most natural. And right now, being this close to Burn felt most natural to Gazel, as much as it embarrassed him. Burn was warm… and soft. Did he always feel like this?

Ulvida sighed contentedly as she watched Burn and Gazel from over Desarm's shoulder. "Having fun?" he asked in an amused tone before spinning her around briefly.

"They sure are." She said happily. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad we had this thing. It's fun. Everyone's having a great time too." Desarm nodded in agreement. While Ulvida continued to spy on Burn and Gazel, he turned his gaze to another couple, namely Gran and Reize. The red haired captain of Gaia had seated the greenette at one of the tables that had been set up and had absolutely refused to allow him to get up. He was pretty sure Gran had even tried to carry him to the bathroom at some point.

He chuckled lightly. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Reize so happy. Then again, Reize was always happier in the redhead's presence. The greenette had harbored feelings for Gran for so long, it was refreshing to see those feelings openly returned.

Desarm had to admit he'd been worried at first. Reize was the type of person to allow his feelings for someone get in the way of his better judgment. When he had first seen 'Gran' in action, he'd become concerned that the redhead might take advantage of the Gemini Storm captain, but he didn't. Gran had continued to regard Reize as an equal, unlike Burn and Gazel, and never made any kind of advances toward the greenette. He'd even noticed Gaia's captain going out of his way to spend time with or assist Reize, following along on chores and missions normally reserved for the lower teams.

"They are cute, aren't they?" Desarm started and turned his attention back to the beautiful girl in his arms. "It's great to see Reize so happy."

"It is, I agree," Ulvida nodded. She refrained from addressing the other couple further and instead squeezed her arms a little tighter around Desarm's waist, bringing a blush to her date's face. The gesture caused him to focus on his own situation instead of someone else's, and Desarm started to grow a little nervous when he remembered how close the two of them actually were.

The Epsilon captain cleared his throat and started hesitantly: "U-Ulvida-sama…"

"Ulvida," she corrected him instantly.

Desarm nodded, his face going even redder. "Y-yes… Ulvida… I-I just want to say that… having you a-as my date… it's an ho… ho…" He couldn't get the word over his lips. He truly considered her permission to hold her in his arms an honor, but the word emphasized their difference in positions, leaving him even shyer. She was a member of Gaia, and he was just… Epsilon. The two of them had managed to get along in spite of their different ranks, but the fact that he was far below her tended to get a hold of him sometimes.

Ulvida smiled and moved back, looking the boy in the eye. Before he even managed to fully grasp it, she placed a hand on his cheek and planted a kiss on the other. Desarm stared at her with wide eyes when she pulled back, making her smile widen.

"I'm happy too, Osamu," she whispered, and she watched with amusement as Desarm's entire face reddened to the point of resembling her dark-red dress. "You're one of the few who didn't treat me differently after Aliea Academy was founded. People started avoiding me because of my… position, and the attitude that came with it. But you've always looked past it… you only saw me. I'm grateful for that."

Desarm lowered his head, realized he was looking at her bosom, and instantly averted his eyes, praying to God she hadn't seen that. "O-o-of course I do," he stammered, his face feeling like it was on fire. "I'm just glad you never saw… my own position as an obstacle. I-I mean, compared to you, I'm just…"

"A great guy and a fantastic captain? And a great big brother on top of that?" Ulvida smiled, her eyes briefly flickering over to the Gaia and Gemini Storm captains. Desarm flushed again. "We're not…I mean…it's not biological…" Ulvida put a finger to his lips to shush him.

"You think that matters? You guys have been together so long you might as well be. You were in the same foster home when he was…what? 2 years old? And then you guys came here when he was 5. He probably doesn't even remember a time when you weren't there." Ulvida rested her head against his shoulder. "You're lucky. You've always been good with the younger kids. They listen to you because they respect you for who you are, not your position. Everyone's just afraid of me."

Desarm was slightly taken back by her statement. Did she really feel that way? He knew some of the players were afraid of her, but he knew for a fact that there were more people who weren't than who were. Maqulia idolized her, Zel thought she was 'a smoking hot babe with an awesome rack' whatever that meant, and Reize still called her 'onee-sama' in private. They weren't afraid of her, intimidated maybe but never afraid.

"… forgive me, but I have to disagree," Desarm whispered. "There may be people who are… not completely comfortable in your presence, but there are many more people who look up to you, regardless of your rank. You're… strong, and independent, and… you have so many admirable qualities." After mustering some extra courage, Desarm dared to press her closer to him and brush his fingers through her blue locks, his eyes shut for a moment. "… at least… that's what I think."

Ulvida blushed herself and shut her own eyes, smiling on his shoulder. She knew how much effort it cost the boy to form a decent compliment. He wasn't one to praise his teammates often, and the fact that he reserved such flattering words for her alone actually made her feel a little honoured herself. Ulvida kept her arms tightly wrapped around her date and took in the fresh scent of his tuxedo, enjoying the close contact.

"… thank you, Desarm."

Soon afterwards, the couples were shaken out of the moment when the slow song ended and the music resumed as usual. The players broke apart and started to sway across the floor again. There wasn't one person not smiling and having the time of their life – except for the captain of Gemini Storm, who was watching his friends with envy.

"I'm such an idiot…" he muttered into his glass, and he took a small sip of his punch. "Now me and Hiroto can't dance anymore, because of my stupid accident." He glanced at the redhead, who was seated right beside him. Reize frowned and started: "If you want to dance, you can ask someone e—"

"I'm perfectly happy staying here," Gran interrupted him, and he winked at the other boy with a smile. "With you. I want to take care of you until your leg has healed, Midorikawa."

Reize blushed and looked away. "A-are you sure? I don't want to spoil your fun, or waste your time, or—" For the second time, Gran silenced him the best way he knew how when words weren't enough. He pressed their lips together before Reize could say anything else, and he knew it worked when Midorikawa very, very hesitantly returned the kiss this time.

Gran pulled back with a grin and teased: "Does that count for an answer?"

Reize blushed a deep red, but found himself unable to look away. He had to keep looking at that charming face, with those enchanting eyes and attractive smile. He still couldn't believe Gran actually possessed the same feelings he did, and the mere realization made his heart beat like mad. The greenette gave a modest nod and was about to smile himself when gasps from the dance floor drew his, as well as Gran's, attention.

Nepper, who was still as good as dancing as at the beginning of the evening, had bumped into his captain this time. Startled by the sudden interruption, Burn had lost his balance and Gazel realized too late when his date crashed into him, causing them both to hit the floor. The surrounding couples stopped dancing to gape at the current scene: the ice captain trapped under the fire captain, their lips clashed together.

Reize's jaw dropped and Gran chuckled a little to himself. Gazel, on the other hand, simply stared, wide eyes locked with Burn's. His mind was still struggling to process their current position. One minute, he was dancing, wrapped in Burn's strong arms; the next, he was on his back with Burn kissing him. The redhead seemed just as shocked and perplexed as Gazel, neither moving an inch.

"Gazel-sama!" suddenly, Burn was ripped off him by IQ and IC was kneeling at his side. Valen quickly joined IQ in staring down Burn. Burn stared back. "What do you think you're doing to Gazel-sama!" IQ snapped, pointing at Burn. "Yeah! You can't just shove Gazel-sama like that!" Valen added. Burn crossed his arms over his chest.

"If you lame brains had been paying attention, you would know it was an accident. If you wanna yell at someone, you should be yelling at fuzzy over here for bumping into me!" Burn jerked his thumb hard at Nepper, who tensed up when both gazes were turned to him. When it looked like they actually intended to approach him, Rhionne stepped in front of him, taking a stance that dared them to try something. The boys faltered for a moment, unsure.

"Knock it off, you guys." Gazel said as IC helped him to his feet. "Thank you, IC. Chill out, you guys, it was an accident. Leave it alone." Valen and IQ exchanged a shocked look. "B-but…Gazel-sama…" Gazel's gaze hardened suddenly.

"I SAID LEAVE IT!" the 2 Diamond Dust players jumped, frantically sputtering apologies before grabbing their dates and running off into the crowd. Gazel sighed and crossed his arms before reaching up to run a hand through his bangs. Burn chuckled under his breath.

"Cowards."

"Excuse me?" the redhead spun to face the ice captain. "I…um…"

"At least my players were willing to do something. Yours just stood there looking like he was going to piss his pants." Burn gaped then glared and ground his teeth together. "Your team can't even take orders the first time they're given! You gotta start PMSing before they listen!" Burn instantly regretted his words. Gazel gaped at him for a second before smacking him across the face as hard as he could.

"Asshole!" the white haired boy screamed and stormed off the dance floor.

Desarm shot up when that word flew across the place and turned around, watching the captain of Diamond Dust exit the room with Rhionne and Nepper on his heels. The Epsilon captain sighed and placed a hand on his forehead, looking exhausted for a moment. "Why are the ones causing scenes the _captains_ of all people… We're meant to serve as an example to the others," he muttered.

Ulvida smiled and lay a hand on his cheek, instantly snapping him out of his thoughts. She ignored Desarm's flushing face and said: "It'll be fine. Those two will make up, as always. Besides, I can think of only one reason why Gazel is this upset."

"Now that you mention it… You're probably right," Desarm agreed, nodding lightly. Gazel was rarely shaken out of his calm demeanor, but if there was one person who knew how to push his buttons, it was Burn. The fact that he had resorted to fleeing the scene instead of arguing with the redhead meant that he was hurt… Those two were starting to care for each other more and more.

His worries fading, Desarm returned the smile and continued dancing with his date.

Meanwhile, Nepper tried to struggle out of Rhionne's grip as she dragged him along after her captain. "R-Rhionne! This is not a good idea, I'm from Promine—"

She turned her head without slowing down, and Nepper could swear her mask was glaring at him, which instantly shut him up. "Are you sorry for what you did?"

Nepper's expression weakened. "Of… course."

"Then come on. We have to help settle this between Burn-sama and Gazel-sama."

Nepper seemed unsure for a moment, but then nodded. Before the two left the room, he turned to look at his captain, who was standing in the exact same spot as before. He hadn't said anything after Gazel hit him; he had barely even moved. He was clearly shocked by Gazel's outburst… which had to mean something. Perhaps Burn was finally growing a conscience and regretting his rash words. Nepper didn't like the thought of the rival captains getting all snuggly together, but this fight was his fault, and he wanted to set it right.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello peoples! Just one more chapter to go after this! And Vera made a sketch of Gazel, Midorikawa, and Ulvida's dresses! Here's the link!

No spaces or parantheses:

ht tp:/ / (img69) . (image) (shack) .us (/img69/) 302/ (alieadresses) .jpg

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inazuma Eleven or the characters from it. We only own the plot of this fic. We are in no way making any money off of this piece of literary work.

*~8~8~8~8~8~*

They found Gazel not far from the entrance, crouched up against the wall. He was holding his knees in his arms and his face was hidden behind his legs: a rare sight.

"Gazel-sama," Rhionne called out as she hurried over to him.

Gazel instantly shot up when he heard his name, but relaxed when he saw who it was. However, when he noticed Rhionne had brought her date, his eyes narrowed and his expression darkened threateningly, sending shivers down Nepper's spine. "Go away."

"Nepper wants to help," Rhionne quickly said, and she sat down beside her captain to place a hand on his shoulder. "He's sorry for what he did," she shot her date a brief look, "right?"

Nepper nodded, silently admiring the girl for having the guts to come this close to the ice captain. His face was still set to thunder and he seemed to be emanating an ominous aura, intimidating the forward even further.

"I-I-I'm really sorry," he peeped almost inaudibly. "It was an accident… I didn't mean to break up you and Burn-sama."

Hearing that name seemed to have an effect on Gazel. His face suddenly softened and he quickly hung his head again, his eyes swapping from anger to sadness. "… Burn… I hate him. He's an idiot."

"It was wrong of him to say those things," Rhionne nodded. "But I don't think he said it because he hates you, Gazel-sama. You attacked him, so he raised his defense by counterattacking."

"Why did this have to happen?" Gazel asked no one in particular, and he shocked both Rhionne and Nepper as his voice broke halfway through. When he lifted his head again, they saw tears shine in his teal eyes. "I was… I was having fun. We were having fun. We finally stopped fighting, and…"

"I'm sure Burn-sama feels the same way," Rhionne told him, and she patted his shoulder comfortingly. "You've been rivals ever since you were placed in separate teams, but it wasn't always like that, was it? You managed to get along before. I don't doubt Burn-sama misses that time like you do."

"I… I agree." Gazel and Rhionne both looked at Nepper when he spoke up. The forward tilted his head awkwardly and continued: "Burn-sama is always mad when you argue, right? But he doesn't get over the issue right away, like you'd expect him to. He usually continues ranting about the two of you, but sometimes… he goes quiet instead. He actually looks pretty sad at times… Not that he would admit it, of course."

Gazel's eyes widened slowly. He didn't know about Burn's behavior when their fights finally ceased, but he had no idea that he allowed them to bother him afterwards. Burn was… sad because they fought? Granted, so was he, but Burn always put up such a tough front… Gazel had never considered he might feel the same way.

Rhionne smiled and looked back at her captain. "See? You two really care for each other; you just resort to fighting so you won't seem weak for having these feelings. Tonight, you finally opened up… It's a shame that Nepper's left feet ruined the moment," she ignored Nepper's sputtering "Hey!", "but that doesn't mean it can't be recovered. Don't you want that, Gazel-sama? To continue dancing and have fun with Burn-sama?"

Gazel hesitated for a moment, but then lowered his head again. Rhionne and Nepper didn't need to ask what was on his mind when he brought his fingers to his lips, brushing them gently as if to recapture the moment when they were kissed by Burn.

After a moment of silence, Rhionne asked: "… did you like it?"

Gazel stared at her and instantly put his hand down. "What?"

"Did you like it? Being kissed by Burn-sama?"

Nepper stared at his date in awe, shocked to hear her even ask. That girl had more guts than he thought, asking the ice-cold captain such a personal question when the answer was obviously—

"… yes. No. I mean…" Gazel looked away as a blush coloured his cheeks. "… it didn't… feel unpleasant."

While Nepper took the much-needed time to get over his bafflement, Rhionne simply smiled and patted her captain's shoulder once more. "You know what I think? I think you two are meant for each other."

Gazel looked at her in shock, blushing furiously. "Wha…what do you mean?" Rhionne shifted around in front of him. "I mean you guys just…have something. You always get each other, even if you guys fight. If one of you guys is upset, the other knows what's wrong and how to make it better. Before we were separated into these teams, you guys were great friends. I don't think that's gone away, it's just been suppressed."

Gazel took a breath. He understood what Rhionne meant. Before Aliea Academy had arisen, he and Burn had been inseparable. They were rarely apart (sometimes even staying in each other's rooms) and they could talk about anything. Aside from their 'father' and Hitomiko, Burn was the only one who knew what happened to bring Gazel to Sun Garden in the first place. The white haired boy ran both his hands through his hair.

"I just don't know…what I'm supposed to…" the ice captain bit his lip hard, cutting himself off when his voice threatened to break again. Rhionne wrapped her arms around her captain and hugged him tightly. "Maybe you guys just need to talk it out. I'm sure he still wants to be your friend. Maybe even more."

Gazel didn't mind the physical contact, seeing as Rhionne was a girl he knew he could trust, but he twitched when he heard her words. "M-more? Burn, more than a friend?" She did know who she was talking about, right?

Rhionne giggled at the nervous tone in his usually calm voice and pulled back to look him in the eye. "Let's assume that you two are on the same wavelength," she started, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Do you want to be more than friends with Burn-sama?"

Gazel, probably blushing deeper than ever before, was too taken aback by the question to look his friend in the eye. He awkwardly stared at the floor and stammered: "I-I… don't know. He would never…"

"If he did," Rhionne interrupted, her expression turning rather stern, "would you want to be with Burn-sama?"

Gazel didn't answer. He continued to focus his gaze on the floor as silence filled the hallway. Rhionne and Nepper both waited patiently while he struggled to grasp for an answer, all the while blushing madly. Finally, when the ice captain gave a timid nod, Rhionne smiled and looked up at her date. "Would you mind fetching Burn-sama?"

"Why?" Gazel and Nepper asked the question at the exact same time, the captain of Diamond Dust sounding twice as shocked as the Prominence forward.

Rhionne giggled again when she saw the startled looks on their faces and explained: "The best way to solve this is to talk it out, like I said, right? And remember when I said you two are on the same wavelength?" She looked at her captain and patted his shoulder once more. "If you want to be with him… he wants to be with you."

"B-but that's just a theory!" Gazel exclaimed wide-eyed. "Rhionne, this is Burn we're talking about! That guy loves to tease me around, he likes seeing me miserable! Didn't you see the way he reacted when he saw me in this thing?" He gestured to his dress before looking at her again. "Even if he knows me well, he uses that knowledge to piss me off! There's no way he sees me as more than a friend…that he wants to be with me!"

Rhionne refrained from saying anything. She lifted her hand from her captain's shoulder and removed her mask, revealing a compassionate smile on her child-like face. She took in the boy in front of her with soft eyes, watching how the first tears flowed down his cheeks and wiping them away with her free hand. "Gazel-sama… You say that, but… the thought of it makes you really sad, right?"

Gazel felt embarrassed when he realized he was crying and looked away again. "What does that matter…?" he asked quietly.

"Everything," Rhionne simply answered. She placed her palm on his cheek to gently turn his head back to hers. "You're my captain, and my friend, Gazel-sama. Your feelings are important to me." Before she gave Gazel a chance to answer, she looked at Nepper once more. "Nepper, could you please ge—"

"You go with him," Gazel suddenly said, and he quickly brushed his cheeks to erase the traces of his tears. Looking to the side, he could feel Rhionne's surprised gaze on him and added: "I need to be alone for a moment…"

Rhionne nodded obediently. "I understand. We'll be right back, Gazel-sama." She got up on her feet and took Nepper by the hand, heading back to the ballroom. The pink-haired girl quickly noticed that Nepper was completely silent, and when inspecting his face, she saw he was wearing a rather sour expression. "… Nepper, is something wrong?"

Nepper lifted his head, suddenly pouring with dignity. "Nothing. I don't care if you wanna get all snuggly with your captain, it's none of my business."

Rhionne giggled and let go of his hand, seeing as she was holding her mask in the other. She gently poked the boy's cheek and teased: "Are you jealous?"

"N-no!" Nepper exclaimed, instantly glaring at her. "Like I said, if you want to get close to other guys, I couldn't care le—" A kiss from his date cut him off. Rhionne dropped her mask, clasped both hands onto his face and pulled him in for a big smooch on the lips. By the time she released him, some of her lipstick had been plastered on his mouth instead. Nepper stumbled back, completely awestruck. His cheeks flushed a deep red and he was at a loss for words.

Rhionne, on the other hand, looked completely calm. She ignored her own reddish cheeks and gave him a playful wink before she put her mask back on. "That's all you're getting for now."

Nepper, still struggling to grasp what had just happened, managed little more than an awkward nod. He touched his own lips for a moment, recalling the scene that seemed to have passed in a millisecond. "That was… my first kiss…" he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

Rhionne grinned and gripped his hand again. "Same for me," she answered. She started to tug him along, nearing the door to the stadium. "Come on, let's go fi—" Rhionne had to stop herself when she almost bumped into the captain of Prominence, who was leaning in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. Rhionne backed off and stared from her right, where her own captain was seated, back to him. "B-Burn-sama… How long have you…?"

"I heard everything," Burn answered calmly, and he inspected the other two with a rather underwhelmed look on his face. "… cute… holding hands like that… Must be nice having your feelings returned."

Nepper blushed and automatically ripped his hand out of Rhionne's grasp, but his date was less impressed. "If you heard everything, you know what you should do. You upset Gazel-sama, he needs comfort."

Burn raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure I'm the right person to do that? That guy doesn't have a high opinion of me."

"That's because he's confused," Rhionne clarified, "and so are you. Otherwise you wouldn't have cared to eavesdrop."

Burn blinked for a moment, but he managed to mask his surprise with a glare. "You have a big mouth for a simple midfielder. You do realize who you're talking to, right?"

Before Rhionne could say anything, Nepper suddenly stepped forward and returned the glare to his captain. "She's trying to help you, even though she's from a rival team. You should be grateful, Burn-sama."

Burn sighed when he ended up in the minority and brushed his fingers through his bangs for a moment. "Alright, alright. I'll go talk to him. But don't spy on us."

Rhionne shook her head. "We'll leave him in your care, then. Remember you'll have the entire team of Diamond Dust on your back if you hurt his feelings." The appallingly friendly tone behind her warning sent shivers down Nepper's spine, but Burn just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, point taken. Now leave us."

"Yes, Burn-sama." Rhionne and Nepper made for the dance floor, and Burn glanced after them for a moment before switching his focus to his fellow captain. Gazel was still seated against the wall with his legs in his arms, gazing ahead of him.

Burn chewed his lip before taking a moment to mask his nervousness and approached the ice captain. "Hey." Gazel jumped and looked up, surprised, the looked away. "Let me guess…I hit like a girl, right?" to his surprise, Burn winced rather than laughed.

"I guess that would be a normal response but Rean's broken Nepper's jaw before, so I'm kind of thankful you don't hit like a girl. That did hurt though." Burn said, absentmindedly rubbing his sore jaw. Gazel shifted a little. "Sorry." Burn watched him for a minute and sighed.

"Nah, I kinda deserved it. I shouldn't have insulted your team like that. You're lucky your team is willing to defend you like that. Mine's only interested if there's a fight involved." Burn settled on the wall across from the white haired captain and slid down it, ruffling around in his pockets before producing a cigarette. Gazel gave him a look as he lit it. "Where the hell did you get that?"

"Swiped it from Kenzaki. Don't change the subject." he said, taking a drag and turning his eyes to the ceiling. Gazel watched him for a second and sighed. "I'm sure that's not true. They'd defend you."

"Like back there? Nepper didn't even flinch; then he went after you." Burn scuffed the floor with his shoe and cast his gaze on the other boy, holding the cigarette between two fingers. Gazel rolled his eyes. "Rhionne's scary when she wants to be. I'm pretty sure she more or less just dragged him along. He doesn't exactly seem to have an iron backbone." Burn snickered. "Yeah, he's pretty much a wimp. Rean uses him like her pack mule."

Gazel burst out laughing as the hilarious image came to mind of Rean standing over Nepper with a bull whip while the poor boy heaved a mountain soccer equipment on his back. When he finally controlled himself, he noticed Burn smirking at him. "What?"

"You don't laugh like that anymore." The redhead commented, taking another drag from the cigarette. Gazel flushed slightly and hugged his knees tighter to his chest, looking to the floor. "Not in public anyways." He mumbled. He felt Burn's eyes on him again and shifted nervously. Rhionne was wrong. They weren't on the 'same wavelength' like she thought. He had no idea what to say to the redhead.

"Did you mean what you told Rhionne?" Burn asked, breathing in more nicotine. Gazel's head shot up to stare at Burn with a shocked expression. Burn had heard him? He felt his heart begin to beat faster. Oh god, Burn had heard him. Heard what he'd said to Rhionne. He knew he…

"Did you?" Burn asked again, locking eyes with the ice captain. Gazel sucked in a breath and nodded, quickly returning his gaze to the floor. He couldn't imagine what had just possessed him to confirm that to the redhead, he wasn't even sure himself. Gazel jumped when Burn suddenly stood, putting out the cigarette against the wall. Gazel kept his eyes trained on the floor. He didn't want to see whatever disgusted look Burn was giving him. He just wanted him to leave. Gazel jumped again when a hand cupped his face and titled it up, lips pressing against his.

Burn was kissing him and this time it was no accident. More tears leaked out of his eyes and Burn's other hand came up to wipe them away. Gazel wrapped his arms around Burn's neck and kissed him back while Burn moved his hands to the other's waist.

After several moments, Burn pulled back. "We should go back in there. Our teams probably think we finally killed each other or something." Gazel sniffed slightly and nodded. Burn stood up and offered a hand to the white haired captain. Gazel accepted the gesture only to be pulled up into another quick kiss. Burn pulled away but kept Gazel's hand gripped tightly in his own as he lead him back to the field-turned-ballroom. Just before they entered Gazel stopped, making Burn stop too and look back at him curiously.

"What?" Gazel raised an eyebrow when the ice captain began to go through the pockets of Burn's tuxedo jacket, only stopping when he produced 2 more packs of cigarettes. "If I ever find you with these again, I'll tell Rean on you." He said calmly before tossing the offending objects into a nearby trash can.

Burn laughed nervously. "Point taken."

Gazel grinned at him, but rather than re-entering the stadium, he grabbed onto Burn's collar with both hands and pulled him closer, leaning in for another kiss. Burn returned the gesture and expected Gazel to break away a few seconds later, but instead, the ice captain caught his neck between his arms a second time, all the while deepening the kiss. Burn grinned to himself when the other boy parted his lips for him and happily took the bait, mingling their tongues together. The two rivals held each other in a tight embrace while Burn urged Gazel back against the wall. When all Gazel did was utter a small moan, Burn grew more confident and lowered one hand from his back to his butt, squeezing it through the dress. That action did seem to have an effect on the silver-haired boy, as he broke the kiss with a gasp and looked straight into Burn's fierce eyes, panting lightly. "… damn, it felt good to do that," he whispered.

Burn chuckled and leaned back in, gently rubbing their noses together. "I know." He shifted his head to bring his lips to Gazel's ear, seductively whispering into it: "How about we continue after the Prom…?"

Gazel blushed, but didn't hesitate to nod his head. "Good idea," he smiled. "My room?"

"Fine with me." Burn kissed him again, and he needed considerable effort to stop himself from keeping Gazel pinned against the wall and engaging in another passionate lip-lock.

When the two finally pulled apart, they joined hands and walked back to the dance floor, both of them wearing a cheerful smile. However, just as Burn positioned them for another dance, Gazel suddenly thought of something. "We haven't voted King and Queen yet."

Burn shrugged, not seeming too bothered. "I don't really care about such a silly award. What matters is that we have fun ourselves, right?"

Gazel raised an eyebrow, giving him a disapproving look. "Burn. This is part of the Prom too. It'll only take a minute; after that, we can dance as much as you want."

Burn pouted as the other boy took him by the hand and walked him to one of the tables. "But I don't even know who to vote for… and I sure as hell ain't gonna vote for Gran."

Gazel snickered when he saw the meaningful face Burn pulled as he spit out that last word. "Me neither. But I know of a couple I think deserves a little favor from us." He pointed over Burn's shoulder, and Burn turned around to find his finger aimed at Rhionne and Nepper. The green-haired boy's dancing skills were as poor as always and he constantly needed to apologize for bumping into others, but Burn had to admit they looked cute despite Nepper's lack of grace. He smiled as he turned back to Gazel and nodded in agreement. "You're right. They did help us solve this mess in the end."

Just as the captains put their slips of paper in a box, a familiar voice asked them from behind: "Everything back alright?"

Burn and Gazel turned around to find Desarm and Ulvida smiling at them. Neither captain was surprised they knew of their earlier quarrel; those two possessed the annoying habit of keeping an eye out for the younger players.

"We're fine, thanks," Burn answered shortly. He took Gazel by the hand and added: "We'd like to continue dancing now, so if you don't mind…"

Ulvida raised an eyebrow. "You better hurry then." She nodded towards the clock and reminded them: "It's almost 11. You were just in time to submit your vote."

Burn and Gazel checked the time before looking at each other, surprised.

"Shit! Let's go!" Burn grabbed Gazel by the wrist and the two ran off, leaving the other couple to snicker at them.

"Told you they'd be fine," Ulvida winked, and Desarm nodded with a smile.

"Yeah… I wonder what happened, though," he thought out loud, watching as the rival couple started dancing enthusiastically. "They seem… different somehow."

"Probably for the best," Ulvida grinned at the captains. Burn and Gazel performed another inside turn, only for Gazel to twirl back and end up in Burn's arms, their faces mere inches apart. The two held onto this position for a moment, smiling at each other, before resuming their dance.


	7. Chapter 7

It's the last chapter guys! I hope you all enjoyed it! Let's find out who Aliea's first Prom King and Queen are!

Disclaimer: We do not own Inazuma Eleven or the characters from it. We only own the plot of this fic. We are in no way making any money off of this piece of literary work.

*~8~8~8~8~8~*

When the blue-and-white-haired girl noticed the big hand was mere minutes away from striking eleven, she and Desarm gathered all of the boxes and started counting the votes. It soon became clear which couple had the victory and the two sent each other a smile. Once they got all the votes down, Ulvida stepped onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. She tried to talk into it, which again resulted in another deafening screech blaring through the room. Ulvida laughed awkwardly when all couples first clasped onto their ears, then glared her way, and tapped the microphone a couple of times to make it work properly. "Well, at least I got your attention," she chuckled. Anyway, it's 11 o'clock! The votes have been counted and the King and Queen of tonight's Prom are ready to be announced!"

Everyone stopped dancing to applaud and cheer. "First off though, did everybody have a good time?" Ulvida yelled into the microphone. More cheers exploded through the room. "Okay then! Let's see who our winners are!"

Desarm reached up to hand her an envelope. She smiled and winked at him when she took it, making him flush and the couples closest to them giggle. "Alright everybody, Aliea Academy's first Prom King and Queen are…Gran and Reize!"

Everyone cheered and turned to the couple. Reize looked like someone had just told him he was pregnant while Gran looked very pleased. Ulvida giggled. "Come up to the stage guys!" Reize simply sat there, still in a state of shock, so Gran simply picked up the greenette bridal style and carried him to the stage. Reize blushed hard when the Gemini Storm players began making cat calls and wolf whistles.

"They are so running laps tomorrow." He mumbled into Gran's shoulder. The redhead laughed and placed him onto his feet when they got on the stage, letting the younger boy lean on him for support.

"Congrats, guys!" Ulvida said, smiling broadly as she placed their crowns on their heads. Gran reached up to adjust Reize's silver tiara and said captain batted his hands away. Ulvida laughed and grabbed the microphone again. "Okay, guys, the Prom ends at midnight so let's end this thing with a bang!" Music began to blare through the speakers again and the couples began dancing again. Burn grinned at Ulvida's words and eyed Gazel briefly.

"Well, if she insists." He said quietly, sweeping Gazel up into his arms, only to be whacked in the head by the white haired captain.

"After the Prom is over, tulip-head."

Ulvida grinned slyly when she noticed the scene between them and grabbed a hold of the microphone once more, interrupting the music for a moment. "I forgot to mention another certain couple! They didn't win the award but they definitely deserve an honourable mention for finally getting together after their endless bickering! Of course, I'm talking about none other than Burn and Gazel!"

Both captains froze when their names filled the room, and Burn regretted picking Gazel up when all heads promptly turned and everybody eyed them in their current position. Even though the music was still playing, it suddenly felt very quiet, as all of the players had stopped chatting and dancing to look at the couple. Most of them, particularly members from Prominence and Diamond Dust, gaped at the captains in shock, while others simply smirked and nodded all-knowingly. Burn and Gazel themselves went bright red at the spot, not knowing where to look. They resorted to staring at each other, until Gazel buried his head in Burn's chest out of pure embarrassment. They wished they could both just sink through the floor, away from those prying eyes.

However, everybody perked up when a clapping sound reached their ears. Rhionne was cheering them on from the corner of the room; she had even removed her mask to show how happy she was to see the captains together. Nepper hesitated for a moment, but then clapped as well, and more and more players quickly followed. Soon, the fire and ice captain received a big applause, and the few who didn't join in on the cheer were a couple of Prominence members, who were obviously displeased with their captain's new boyfriend. Burn, however, failed to notice, let alone care. He took in his surroundings with awe, shocked to see so many people support him and Gazel. The silver-haired boy carefully shifted out of his hiding place and gazed around as well, just as astounded. The captains then turned to look at each other, flashing a smile in unison. Everybody started to clap twice as enthusiastically and yell in excitement when the two confirmed their relationship by locking lips. Their eyes shut, Gazel placed a hand on Burn's cheek, while Burn tightened his grip on Gazel in a loving fashion.

Gran, who had only applauded them briefly so Reize wouldn't fall over without his support, grinned at his own boyfriend and winked. "Is it me or are those two getting more attention than us?"

"Has it ever been different?" Reize muttered, rolling his eyes. The rival captains always drew much attention with their arguments, after all. He then smiled and added: "But I really am glad to see them together… At least they won't yell at me for trying to make them reconcile again."

Gran chuckled and stroked Reize's cheek tenderly. "If anyone yells at you, just tell me and I'll set them straight."

Reize blushed at his gesture, and then blushed even deeper when he spoke those words. He smiled at the boy he so deeply admired and leaned his head on his shoulder, contently. "Thank you, Hiroto."

While Gran picked up his date and carried him off the stage, the applause slowly ceased and the couples started dancing again. For as long as the Prom lasted afterwards, the liveliness increased twofold, as all of the Aliea students danced, talked, and simply had fun without a care in the world. Burn and Gazel themselves had also started to dance again and were determined to keep going until the very end. Eventually, even Gran and Reize joined in, although the dancing part came from only one side: Gran had picked up Reize like a little bride and swayed him around as many times as he could. Reize held on for dear life and protested at first ("That's way too heavy!" "You'll bump into people!" "What if I fall?" "People will stare at us!") but eventually, he simply laughed along with the redhead and kept his arms around his neck, enjoying the time he got to spent in his arms. Desarm and Ulvida were also dancing again, smiling at each other whenever their eyes met. Desarm felt more comfortable with his date now, allowing him to let loose and literally sweep her off her feet a couple of times. Ulvida could only laugh when he surprised her by suddenly lifting her off the floor and happily let him lead her.

When it was time for the Prom to end, all of the Aliea students gave one last big applause, particularly to Gran for organizing the event. Many of them talked about having another one as they left the stadium, eventually leaving the five captains, as well as Ulvida, at the entrance last. The girl folded her arms and gave the others a smile. "Was that a blast or not?"

"Definitely. It was great to see everyone have so much fun," Gran nodded.

"And we also achieved the primary reason for organizing this Prom," Desarm added.

Burn raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What reason is that?"

Ulvida snorted and lowered her eyes to his and Gazel's locked hands. "Getting you, and everyone else, to reconcile. We may be in separate teams… but that doesn't mean we're enemies."

"I think some of us," Gran coughed innocently before he continued, "I won't mention any names, had forgotten about that. That's why Desarm suggested we do something about it, and I came up with the idea of a Prom."

Burn and Gazel blushed equally and gave each other a shy glance. "Right…" Gazel muttered. Burn decided to break the awkwardness and said: "Well, we'll be off now. See you tomorrow."

The other four watched in surprise as the couple headed in the same direction together.

"Uhm… Isn't Prominence the other way…?" Reize asked carefully.

Burn and Gazel heaved their shoulders as if they'd been busted for stealing candy and pouted grumpily at the greenette, as if to warn him he shouldn't say anything more. Burn cleared his throat and repeated with emphasis: "We'll be _going_ now."

Gran simply snickered as he watched them hurry off. "I don't need to guess what they're planning." When Reize gave him a questioning look, he flashed an innocent smile and poked him on the nose. "Nothing for us to worry about. Come on, I'll take you to your room, Midorikawa." The captain of Gaia took the captain of Gemini Storm in his arms and the two bid goodbye to the other couple, leaving them alone.

Desarm, as soon as he realized they had all the privacy in the world, started feeling awkward for some reason. He figured he should head for his own department and started: "I suppose I should…"

"Desarm," Ulvida interrupted, and her sudden serious expression intimidated him a little. Was she displeased about something? Desarm hesitantly approached her when she told him to come closer, and before he knew it, a kiss had been pressed onto his lips. He barely even realized it. Ulvida moved closer, kissed him, and pulled away right after that, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Desarm didn't even have the time to consider moving away when she closed in on him. He stared at the girl in shock, his cheeks flushing a deep red. "D-did you just… kiss me…?"

"No," Ulvida shook her head innocently, blushing herself. "Our lips simply clashed. It was an accident, no biggie." She snickered when Desarm continued to stare at her in complete awe and stroked his cheek for a moment. "Goodnight, Osamu."

Desarm didn't manage one word before she turned around and headed for the Gaia department. He needed effort just to move, finally melting out of his frozen state only when he was completely alone. He lowered his head, trying to process what in the world had just happened to him. It was obvious that it hadn't been an accident… Their lips did clash, but… Ulvida had done it on purpose, hadn't she? She had actually kissed him… His heart beating like mad, Desarm realized he was actually very happy with what she'd done. Embarrassed, yes… but happy. Ulvida had ended his night the best way she could; by confirming their secluded, but mutual feelings.

Desarm couldn't help but smile down the empty hallway. It was definitely the most warm-hearted smile he had ever given, reserved for the one who had captured his heart. "… goodnight, Reina."


End file.
